Introduction to Rocket Launches and Dynamic Pressure

If you have ever watched a broadcast of a rocket launch, about 30 seconds after liftoff, the announcer indicates that the rocket is lowering the throttles for “Max Q” or maximum dynamic pressure. Max Q represents the maximum pressure exerted on the rocket by the air as the rocket moves through the atmosphere. You will use Matplotlib to graphically represent pressure as a function of time to understand where Max Q occurs and what the total pressure is at Max Q for different average accelerations. Dynamic pressure is a function of the density of air (which changes with altitude and temperature) and velocity (which will change with time as the rocket speeds up).

The program will calculate dynamic pressure as a function of time, find the maximum pressure and the time at which it occurs, plot dynamic pressure vs time, and identify and annotate Max Q with its index and value. The ability to annotate the graph with arrows and textboxes is another powerful Matplotlib feature that you will learn about. It will show how changing launch duration can have dramatic effects on the maximum dynamic pressure.